Railway car structure



Feb. 25, T936., W M SHEEHAN @ZS@ RAILWAY CAR STRUCTURE Fle Jan. 5, 1934 :Th-f;- @-11 1H /m/e/y/or Patented Pela. 245, 1936 PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY CAR STRUCTURE William M. Sheehan, Merion,

Pa., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application ,January 5, 1934, Serial No. 705,304

15 Claims.

The invention relates .to railway rolling stock and is particularly adapted for use in mine car structures in which acute problems are present involving the provision of as large a capacity as possible within given over all dimensions of the car. These dimensions are established by the sizesof tunnels, track clearances, dumping equipment, .and other `surrounding circumstances, and may not .be exceeded. The cubic capacity of the car determines the e'lciency of the transportationof coal orother material from the mine and any .increase in capacity vis of substantial advantage. Furthermore, cars of this type are subjected to hard usage due to the roughness of the tracks and other circumstances, and simple, rugged construction is of advantage.

The main object of the invention is to increase the Vcapacity of Va car of the type described by mounting it upon wheel and axle structure in a manner which permits the car floor to closely approach the wheel, axle and rails.

Another object of the invention is to yieldingly support the car body upon the car axles and wheels by simple eifective structure which does not substantially aiect the capacity of the car or increase its cost.

Other objects of the invention are to exclude dirt from the wheel bearings and to mount the bo'dy on springs located very close to the wheels.

These and other detailed objects are attained by the accompanying drawing in which:-

Figure 1 is in part a top view and in part a longitudinal section through a portion of a mine car body showing an axle and pair of wheels mounted thereon. The view is taken on line I-I o'f Figure 4.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a side view of one-half of the axle and is drawn on an enlarged scale.

Figure 6 is a top View of the same.

Figure 7 is a vertical transverse section on the line '1 -'I of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an end view of the axle.

Figure 9 is a detail section corresponding to the left hand side of Figure 4 with the axle, spring and wheel removed to more clearly illustrate another feature of the structure.

The main portion of the car body preferably is formed of a one-piece web member comprising a middle licor portion I, intermediate elevated (Cl. 10S-364) portions 2 and further elevated side portions 3. 'I'hese portions are connected by substantially upright sections 4 and 5 and the web terminates in upright sections 6 upon which the upright walls 'I are mounted. The middle floor portion I is re- 5 cessed intermediate its ends as indicated at 8 to clear the middle portion 9 of the axle, which axle portion is of shallow I-shaped section throughout the width of floor portion I.

Adjacent each side of floor portion I the axle 10 curves upwardly and forms an open top box-like structure I0 having bottom wall II and flat exterior sides I 2. The outer end wall o'f the member I 0 projects at I3 beyond each of the sides I2 and includes a deeply grooved circular periphery I4. 15 A spindle I5 projects from the end wall of structure ID and mounts a roller bearing assembly I6 upon which the wheel I1 rotates. The interior periphery of the wheel hub I8 ts over the periphery I4 and cooperates with the grooves in the latter 20 to form a dust seal for protecting the roller bearing unit I6.

A coiled spring I9 is seated in box I0 and supports the car body and its load by direct engagement with the elevated portion 2 of the floor, the 25 latter being provided w`th a boss 20 for positioning the spring.

Pedestal jaws 2I depend from the floor web along each side I2 of the axle and guide the same in its movement. An axle-retaining strap 22 is 30 connected to the pedestal jaws 2| and extends beneath the portion of the axle containingthe spring seat or housing.

The floor web is reinforced adjacent the axle by depending ribs 23 which may be perforated at 24 35 to lighten the structure and to facilitate its manufacture.

Preferably the floor web and axle are each formed of cast metal structure whereby the unique shaping ofthe parts is readily obtained and all 40 metal may be disposed in a manner to secure the desired result Without adding unnecessary weight at points where a great amount of metal is not required.

While the invention is illustrated as applied to 45 a relatively simple mine car structure, it is to be understood that the invention may be used with swivel trucks both of the pedestal type and the side frame type and in other railway car constructions where similar axle, spring and wheel 50 mounting assembly would be practical.

The details of the structure may be modified substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of such modications is contemplated. 55

transmitted to and from the-wheels'byethe ve- I ci-aim: 5

l. In a railway vehicle axle, an open top housing structure i extending substantialk throughout the depth of the axle for seating a load supporting spring, and a wheel mounting part adjacent said housing structure.

2. In a railway vehicle axle, a hollow box-like portion forming anopen top pocket structure for housing `a. load supporting spring, the sides of Ysaid structure being arrangedV to engage pedestal jaws, there being a wheel mounting part adjacent said structure. i

3. A railway'vehiole axle' comprisingwheel" mountingA parts, housings forbody lsupporting springs located at substantially. the same level 'as said parts, and vertieal side faces located at Vsaid level' for directly receiving longitudinal forces hicle body.

ATA railway vehicle axle Vincluding end portionsfor rotatably mounting supporting wheels, there beingiparts immediately adjacent and in substantially horizontal alinement with saidportions forming housings for body supporting springs and having side walls for directly receiving@ longitudinal forces transmitted thereto by` sanbody. Y

In a railway vehicle Vaxle,`an open top housinggstructure for receiving and seating adoad supporting' spring, Yopposite sides o; said structurebeing arranged to engage pedestal jaws,and a'wheeljmounting spindle projecting fromY said structure intermediate said sides and above the spring seat in said structure.Y Y o 6. A railway vehicle axlercomprising an intermediate portion, relatively elevated portions Vat the ends of said intermediate portion having open top spring receiving chambers extending substan- Y tially the entire depth of said elevated portions, and wheel mounting portions extending outwardly from said chambers.

7. Arailway vehicle axle comprising aninterfY mediateA portion having anjI-beamcross section, spring mounting portions of open top box section at" the ends of said intermediate portion,

and wheel mounting portions of round section extending outwardly from said -spri'ng mounting portions. 1

'8. In combination, a railway vehicle axle hav#-A ing anV open top box-section withan upright side wall portion having a circular periphery, there being'a spindle projecting from said wall portion, a load supporting spring housing in said section, and a wheel mounted on said spindle with its hub extending over said periphery and terminating adjacent to said spring. o'

aosaise pedestal jaws, and an axle inluding wheel mountingY parts and portions located between said parts and the middle of the axle slidably engaging said jaws and framing supporting springs housed be-Y tween oppositely facing pedestal engaging portions of said axle. i;

10.,I.n a railwaygvehicle, YVa body floor having a middle portion and an elevated side portion adjacent thereto, an axle with its intermediate part extending beneath.Y said middle portion with its end portion oisetilpwardly, to more closely approachsaid'elevatedside portion and arranged to mount a vehicle wheel, and a spring seated in i Vthe axle near the levelof its intermediate part for directly supportingsaid elevated ioor portion.

1l. VIn a; railway vehicle, a body floor having a middle portion, an elevated intermediate por` --tion and a still further elevated side portion, an

axle extending beneath said oor middle portion and offset'ipwardly beneath said floor intermedi` c ate' portion 'and 'terminating in a spindle: `be

9. In a railwayrvehicle, Vframiiag including neath said elevated floor side portionyaspring y housed in said axle supporting saidintennediate floor portion* on said axleand a vwheel Ymounted on said'spindle beneath said `ioor side portion.

12'."In"a railway vehicle, a door forming web having 'depending pedestal jaws, an' axle beneath said web? havinga wheelmountirrg part and ele- Y ments slidably engaging said jaws and'having a pocket; between said elements, a spring housedinV saidl pocket and supporting said web, and a retaining'strap secured toisaid Vjaws and passing under said axle beneath said pocket.v I `13.In a railway vehicle axle, a wheel mounting part, and anopen top pocketstructure extending substantially throughout the depth and portion intermediate said housings, springs sub" widthV of the axleior housing a load supporting stantially the same depthassaid axle mounted f in said housings andextending slightlyabove the sarna: and a frame closely paralleling the upperface of said axle with its central part'below the level of the tops of said springs and the end portions of said axles and with its side portions resting directly on said springs. i'

' WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN.

HHH 

